Sculpture Mirror Fetish AAA933

Mirrored fetish figures are a singular and significant expression of Bakongo sculpture. For them, all these fetishes are called Nkisi, meaning “medicine.” The “drugs” are often placed in cavities in the stomach, head, or back to activate work with the stimulating agent. The nkisi, measuring 8.5x7x29 cm, are versatile in their uses, with an ambivalent meaning. This 20th century wooden piece comes from the Bakongo tribe in the Democratic Republic of